Preliminary X-ray crystallographic studies of the Mycobacterium Tuberculosis HSP16.3 molecular chaperone

Mycobacterium Tuberculosis HSP16.3 is a major antigen maximally expressed during the stationary phase. Previous studies showed that HSP16.3 can function as a molecular chaperone in vitro. Here, crystallization trails of HSP 16.3 were reported. A kind of crystal can be diffracted to 2.8 Angstrom resolution at the "Photon Factory", a synchrotron light source in Japan. The crystal displayed the space group R3 with unit cell parameters a=b=110 Angstrom, c=152 Angstrom and Y=120 degrees. Assuming the presence of 9 HSP16.3 molecules in an asymmetric unit, it gives a Vm= 0.73 Angstrom (3)/Da. and solvent content of 35% by volume.